Note: The following appears in the Syracuse football gameday program.
The era of Clemson football that still reigns to this day reached the mountaintop when Head Coach Dabo Swinney carried Clemson to its second national championship. With a 35-31 victory over Alabama in Jan. 9, 2017, the Tigers brought home their first championship trophy since 1981, and the winning team was cemented into history.
An esteemed member of the victorious Clemson squad was Anderson, S.C. native Ben Boulware, who earned the Jack Lambert Award earlier that year as the nation’s top linebacker while leading the team with 131 tackles. In the victory over the Crimson Tide, the senior totaled 10 tackles and brought the energy on the gridiron for the game that he has always loved.
“My grandpa played here. I have his jersey in my office. My parents came here, my older brother played baseball here and both my cousins came here. You have kids who want to get away from home, but I was totally opposite. I love my family.”
Boulware committed to the Tigers in 2013, and his time as a linebacker was stellar. Officially a starter for his final two seasons, he ended his career with a national championship and 352 tackles in 53 games, among other accolades.
After his time with Clemson, Boulware bounced around the NFL, including as a free agent to the Panthers’ practice squad in 2017. He was cut before the season started. His experience in the fall of that year with the 49ers opened his eyes to his time ending as a player.
“I’m on the practice squad as a scout team tight end, and I said, ‘This sucks.’ My mom and girlfriend at the time flew out to San Jose to spend a week with me while I was on the practice squad.
“As I was picking them up at the airport and they put their bags in the car, I got a call from the front office of the 49ers. They said, ‘We are letting you go.’”
Although his time as a player came to a tough end, Boulware leaned on his family and faith and pursued a new path. In 2018, the former All-American opened the first location of his training facility and gym, The Junkyard. After years as a business owner and entrepreneur, where he opened multiple locations across the Upstate and attracted a large audience and community, he was called to go back to his roots.
“Last year, I was getting the itch, and I’ve always had the itch to try it out. It was more like a timing thing and opportunity.”
Boulware started as an unpaid defensive volunteer in 2024, and in 2025, he was named one of the team’s linebacker coaches alongside Clemson’s new defensive coordinator, Tom Allen. Since then, he has poured his heart and soul out for his players, and his experience in the game adds even more honor to his new position with the program.
“I try to simplify the game for them. I can do that because I’ve sat out there and have been in that stressful environment and not had to think about all these things. If you can simplify things, you can be a good linebacker.”
In his first season of his full-time role, Boulware believes the Tigers have everything it takes to reach the top of college football yet again, and the former linebacker is back in Tigertown to help make it happen.
“We have a really talented roster,” added Boulware. “At every position and in every room, there is NFL talent. I think a lot of teams can say that, but a lot of other teams don’t have the talent plus the work ethic. When you have a combination of talent plus work ethic, you have a really good team.”
